Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Questions about cleaning, disinfectant use during COVID-19? Poison control centers have answers

"It can be difficult to determine the difference between facts and myths regarding COVID-19," AAPCC officials wrote in a Thursday press release. "The Q&A will mitigate this issue by providing tips for how to use disinfectants safely and effectively to prevent the spread of the disease."

Misguided information or faulty online advice could lead to serious complications.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an adult woman "heard on the news" that she should clean all recently purchased groceries before consuming them. After filling her sink with a mixture of 10% bleach solution, vinegar and hot water to soak her produce, she developed difficulty breathing, coughing and wheezing and was transported to an emergency center. She was discharged a few hours later.

[ This story is being provided for free to our readers during the new coronavirus outbreak. Consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Enquirer at cincinnati.com/subscribe. ]

In Kentucky, the Louisville Courier Journal reported a 30% increase in overall exposure calls related to disinfectant agents last month, including a 56% increase in poisonings from household cleaners and a 30% uptick in poisonings from hand sanitizers.

"We have not received any calls specifically related to the injection of cleaners or disinfectants. However, we have seen a general increase related to exposures of cleaners/disinfectants," Nationwide Children's Hospital spokesperson Mary Ellen Fiorino wrote to The Enquirer in an email.

"Although (National Poison Data Systems) data do not provide information showing a definite link between exposures and COVID-19 cleaning efforts, there appears to be a clear temporal association with increased use of these products," the CDC states on their website.

The increase in total calls, which increased "sharply" at the beginning of March, was seen across all age groups, the CDC states. However, exposures among children 5 years and younger consistently remained a large percentage of total calls in the 3-moth study period for each year.

At Thursday's White House press briefing, President Donald Trump seemed to suggest injecting disinfectants into people infected with the novel coronavirus.

"And then I saw the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute, and is there a way we could do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning," the president said during his White House press briefing. "As you see it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that."

Household cleaners are important and even essential products to continue using as the nation works to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, knowing how to properly handle these products can keep families safe at home.

"When used properly, disinfectants can be effective against the spread of diseases such as COVID-19. When used incorrectly, they can cause harm," the AAPCC stated in their release.

You can tune in to the Q&A online at the AAPCC Facebook page Thursday, April 30 at 2 p.m. Submit your questions online through a direct message to the AAPCC Facebook administrators or post to the Central Ohio Poison Center page.

[ Get breaking news related to the novel coronavirus by downloading the Cincinnati.com app ]